Snap-on type ratcheting flare-nut wrench



T- NEFF Marcia 21, 1967 SNAP-ON TYPE RATCHETING FLARE-NUT WRENCH Filed May 16, 1966 FIQZ TEDNEFF I N VFNTGR.

MW ATTK.

Fig. 6

United States Patent 3,309,949 SNAP-8N TYPE RATCHETING FLARE-NUT WRENCH Ted Neil, 1575 W. Rialto Ave., San Bernardino, Calif. 92410 Filed May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 559,028 2 Claims. (Cl. 81111) This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 416,483, filed Dec. 7, 1964, entitled, Snap-on Type Ratcheting Flare-Nut Wrench, now abandoned.

This invention relates in general to 'rnechanics hand wrenches and the like, and more particularly to a ratcheting hand wrench of the type commonly referred to as a flare-nut wrench, which is primarily for use on tubing and line connections although not necessarily restricted to such use.

In the operation of connecting two tubing or line sections together, ordinary ratcheting wrenches such as socket types with ratchet handle cannot be used because an enclosed socket cannot be fitted over the tubing or line and inserted over the hex connection. For the same reason, ordinary box type wrenches or ratcheting box wrenches also cannot be used. The most commonly used tool for such an operation, therefore, is a flare-nut wrench having hexagonal. jaw surfaces with an opening on one side so that the wrench may be slipped over a tubing or line and down onto the connection. The use of this type of wrench, of necessity, is tedious and time-consuming. Such a wrench must he slid off of the connection and reinserted for each succeeding turn applied to the connection. A common open end wrench must be used in the same manner, with the added possibility that it will damage and burr the soft metal of the connection due to having only a twosurface contact.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a wrench of the flare-nut and/or crow-foot type having a hexagonal jaw opening that can be fitted over a tubing or line and down onto the hexagonal connection or joint, and when once in place, it can be operated with a ratcheting action and the like without ever having to be removed; that is, the wrench from the tubing or line connection for purposes of securing a new grip for succeeding turns.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a ratchet type of tool that is simple and economical to manufacture, and is easy to assemble, and which has a minimum of parts, and which can be sold for a low price.

Still other objects reside in the combination of elements, arrangement of the various parts, and novel features of construction such as will be pointed out more fully hereinafter, and disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein there is shown preferred embodiments of this invention and/or inventive concepts, and wherein like reference characters designate like parts.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the wrench comprising the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an edge elevational view of the wrench;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, and with the handle broken away for purposes of showing the internal construction of the wrench;

FIGURE 4 is an edge view of just the head portion of the wrench;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation, with handle broken away, and showing how the upper jaw pivots to allow the wrench to be moved around a hexagonal object with a ratcheting action to secure a new grip without removing the wrench from the workpiece;

FIGURE 6 is a partial view, in elevation, showing a slight modified form of the invention.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, the device of the instant invention is comprised of a handle 1 in- "ice tegral with a fixed head and jaw member 2. law member 2 has two angular jaw surfaces 3 and 4, the first angular surface 3 extending at a 60-degree angle outward and upward from the longitudinal axis of the wrench handle and the second angular surface 4 extending upward verti cally from the outer end of surface 3 in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the wrench. The head has a reduced fiat section 5 that exists between said handle and jaw, said reduced flat section being of substantially less thickness than the handle and the top portion of the fixed head 2. Section 5 accommodates a movable head and jaw 6, said head 6 being bifurcated on one end to form extending arms 7 and 8. These arms formed by said bifurcation are integral with head 6 and straddle the fiat portion of section 5. Head 6 has three jaw surfaces 9, 1t), and 11 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Surfaces 9 and 19 are of the same length, with surface 9 extending outward and upward from the longitudinal axis of the wrench handle at a 60'degree angle and surface 10 extending upward vertically from the outer end of surface 9 at a SO-degree angle and in parallel alignment with surface 4 on jaw 2. I aw surface 11 extends inward and upward from the end of surface 10 at a 60-degree angle and is of somewhat shorter length than surfaces 9 and 10, thereby forming a hook means over the outer corner of a workpiece as shown in FIGURE 3 for holding the work piece firmly within the jaw surfaces of the wrench when a clockwise turning motion is applied to the wrench. This turning motion causes a toggle-like action of jaw or head 6 to be applied to the workpiece whereby the harder the turning force, the tighter the jaws of the Wrench grip the workpiece. Hinged head 6 is held in place by a pivot pin 12 inserted and staked into a bore 13 which extends through both arms 7 and 8 and also through reduced section 5.

As clearly shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, there is a recess or cutout portion providing a shoulder or seat portion 14 formed in the inner portion of fiat section 5 which holds and positions a preformed wire spring member 15. This spring has the looped portion 16 and the pair of legs 17 and 18, as shown. The legs of this spring 15 bears with a constant pressure against a shoulder on hinged jaw 6 at the crotch of the bifurcated part and the edge 14 to thereby force said jaw of head 6 forward into a work engaging position. Fixed jaw 2 has shoulders 19 and 20 which act as a stop for hinged jaw 6 at its forwardmost work-engaging position. Both jaws together contain five work-engaging surfaces forming the major part of a hexagonal opening to receive a hexagonally shaped workpiece, such as a nut or tubing connection fitting, in

'such a manner that five of the six surfaces of a hexagonal object are contacted at the same time, thereby dispersing the torque load and reducing the possibility of damaging a nut or fitting to a minimum. v

A most important feature of construction is the proper placement of pivot pin 12 in relation to the hexagonal opening of the two jaws. The pin must be placed below but touching a straight line drawn from point 22 and bisecting point 23 as shown by broken line in FIGURE 1. If placed farther below the broken line, the wrench would bind during the ratchet operation; if placed higher to where the broken line 27 would be bisecting the pin, the jaws would have a tendency to spread and slip under operational torque forces.

The movable jaw has a projection 6' which may be called a finger or thumb release element or means so that the jaws can be separated manually if required. Normally, the jaws would readily separate when forced onto the workpiece (such as a nut) because of the rounded tips on the jaws.

In operation of the wrench, the jaws are placed over the workpiece and the wrench is turned clockwise for a tightening operation to the extent of travel permitted or desired. A reverse counterclockwise motion is then applied to the wrench handle, said motion forcing hinged jaw head 6 backward against the pressure of spring 15 by the camming action of the hexagonal workpiece, as shown in FIGURE 5 of the drawings, thereby causing the gap between jaws 2 and 6 to open sufficiently to allow the wrench to slip around the workpiece and obtain a new grip on the workpiece for another turning operation without removing the wrench from the workpiece. As the wrench jaws reach a proper position on the next adjacent surfaces of the workpiece, spring 15 forces hinged jaw 6 forward into the proper work-engaging position again for the next succeeding turn.

In performing a loosening operation, the wrench is flipped-over whereby the action is reversed, a counterclockwise turning of the wrench loosening the workpiece and a clockwise turning forcing the jaws apart by the camming action of the workpiece thereby permitting the wrench to slip around the workpiece and obtain a new grip, in the same manner previously described for the tightening operation.

FIGURE 6 of the drawings shows a coil spring 24 as a substitute for the spring 15. One end of this spring 24 is seated in a pocket 25 and the other end seated in a pocket 26. Both mentioned springs perform the same function. The flat area of the wrench is indicated at 5' which omits a cavity that accommodated the loop of the other type of spring 15. In this form of the invention, a socket portion 28 is provided which has the opening 29 to receive a cross-bar, not shown, so that the head of the wrench can be worked at a right angle position with respect to the handle 1 as described heretofore as regards the preferred form of the invention. The opening 29 receives a male flitting or plug of a hinged driving tool, not shown, so that the head of the wrench can be worked with the tool at various angles not possible with fixed handles like that shown at 1 described heretofore. Such tools or handles are well known in the art. It will be understood and is obvious that a second wrench head and jaws of a different size but conforming to that described herein may be formed on the opposite end of handle 1, thereby making the tool a double-end instead of a single-end wrench.

A wrench of substantially the type and construction illustrated and described herein has a very distinct advantage over ordinary wrenches of conventional design in that it can be used with a ratcheting action on a workpiece without the tedious and time-consuming necessity for removing and re-installing the wrench for each succeeding turn, and this advantage has been achieved without increasing the bulk, thickness, or weight in comparison to conventional wrenches.

It is understood and is obvious that changes may be made in the forms, dimensions, construction, and arrangement of the various parts, as shown, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore the invention is not necessarily limited to the exact construction illustrated and described herein, nor is the invention necessarily limited to any specific use or uses, but may be used for any purpose to which it may be adapted and is made suitable.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wrench having a ratchet-like operation comprising a first head having a reduced portion and a second head having a hinged connection with the first head, said first head having a handle portion integral therewith and a jaw portion at the outer extremity of said head, said jaw portion having two angular jaw surfaces of predetermined length, a first of the two surfaces bearing at a 60 degree angle outward and upward from the longitudinal axis of the wrench handle, a second of the two surfaces extending upward at a 120 degree angle from the end of the first surface and in substantially parallel alinement with the longitudinal axis of the handle, said second head having three angular jaw surfaces, two of which are the same length and the third being shorter than the first two, a first of the two surfaces of the same length extending outward and upward at a 60 degree angle from the longitudinal axis of the handle, a second of the two surfaces projecting upward from the end of the first at a 120 degree angle from the upper end of the first and in substantially parallel alinement with the longitudinal axis of the wrench handle, the third short surface of the second head extending upward and inward from the end of the second surface of said second head at a 120 degree angle and being rounded at its outer end thereby forming a hook-like portion on the second head to encompass the corner of a hexagonally shaped workpiece, said second head being bifurcated to form extending arms projecting laterally at a degree angle to the longitudinal axis of the wrench handle and straddling the reduced portion of the first head, shoulders formed on opposite sides of the first head against which said .arms of the hinged second head abut thereby restricting the upward pivotal travel of the second head, a recess in a curved portion of the reduced portion on the first head in which is retained one end of a spring means, said spring means being compressed between oppositely facing walls on said first head and second head to a point where the second jaw surfaces on both heads are in parallel alinement and the arms on the second head are resting against the shoulders on the first head.

2. The wrench recited in claim 1 wherein a projecting portion is provided on the outer perimeter of the second head opposite said arms and located adjacent the first jaw to provide a finger release element, said element when pressed downward compressing said spring means and spreading the jaw surfaces on the first and second heads apart thereby facilitating the easy insertion on or removal from the workpiece.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,406,467 2/ 1922 Matthey 81111 X 1,434,401 11/1922 Mueller 81-121 2,618,996 11/1952 Logan 81-111 FOREIGN PATENTS 22,563 1911 Great Britain. 618,203 2/1949 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEI-IR, Examiner. 

1. A WRENCH HAVING A RATCHET-LIKE OPERATION COMPRISING A FIRST HEAD HAVING A REDUCED PORTION AND A SECOND HEAD HAVING A HINGED CONNECTION WITH THE FIRST HEAD, SAID FIRST HEAD HAVING A HANDLE PORTION INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND A JAW PORTION AT THE OUTER EXTREMITY OF SAID HEAD, SAID JAW PORTION HAVING TWO ANGULAR JAW SURFACES OF PREDETERMINED LENGTH, A FIRST OF THE TWO SURFACES BEARING AT A 60 DEGREE ANGLE OUTWARD AND UPWARD FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE WRENCH HANDLE, A SECOND OF THE TWO SURFACES EXTENDING UPWARD AT A 120 DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE END OF THE FIRST SURFACE AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ALINEMENT WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE HANDLE, SAID SECOND HEAD HAVING THREE ANGULAR JAW SURFACES, TWO OF WHICH ARE THE SAME LENGTH AND THE THIRD BEING SHORTER THAN THE FIRST TWO, A FIRST OF THE TWO SURFACES OF THE SAME LENGTH EXTENDING OUTWARD AND UPWARD AT A 60 DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE HANDLE, A SECOND OF THE TWO SURFACES PROJECTING UPWARD FROM THE END OF THE FIRST AT A 120 DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE UPPER END OF THE FIRST AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ALINEMENT WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE WRENCH HANDLE, THE THIRD SHORT SURFACE OF THE SECOND HEAD EXTENDING UPWARD AND INWARD FROM THE END OF THE SECOND SURFACE OF 